Senegal reassures public about ex-Guantanamo detainees

DAKAR, Senegal – Senegal's justice minister says the West African nation has agreed to take in two former detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility for humanitarian reasons.

Sidiki Kaba on Tuesday reassured residents the two Libyan men are not a threat, saying they are not known to be jihadis. He said they were African sons who had been tested for years. He also said it is important to close the detention facility.

Salem Abdu Salam Ghereby and Omar Khalif Mohammed Abu Baker Mahjour were held at Guantanamo for nearly 14 years without charge.

Some residents expressed worry as the threat of Islamic extremism grows in the region. Others said Senegal made the decision with assurances from the American government.